NFL picks, predictions, odds for Week 8: Bears stun Chargers

Two confounding teams kicked off the NFL Week 8 schedule when the Tampa Bay Buccaneers took on the Buffalo Bills. While Josh Allen played well despite an injury, the Buccaneers still had a chance to win at the end, only to fall short on a wild Hail Mary attempt. In the other primetime matchups this week, we get two intriguing contests with the Chicago Bears vs. Los Angeles Chargers on Sunday night and the Las Vegas Raiders vs Detroit Lions on Monday. Now, let’s get to the rest of our NFL Week 8 picks, predictions, and odds.

Upsets abound in Week 7, with the Bills losing to the New England Patriots, the New York Giants taking out the Washington Commanders, and the Minnesota Vikings taking down the San Francisco 49ers, among others. This is why the NFL can be so fun to watch (and so frustrating to bet on) at times.

As the NFL Week 8 slate gets underway, we welcome back a whopping six teams from their byes, with the New York Jets, Houston Texans, Carolina Panthers, Cincinnati Bengals, Dallas Cowboys, and Tennessee Titans all returning to action. And for some reason, that makes no sense, there are no byes this weekend. That just means more football, though, so let’s go!

It was a tough week for this ClutchPoints NFL picks, predictions, and odds series for Week 7. The weirdness of the week gave us our first losing picks of the season. We were 6-7 straight up and 4-9 against the spread for the slate. The good news is that there was a bit of a built-in cushion, and our record is still above .500 with marks of 68-38 (64.1%) straight up and 62-41-3 (58.4%) against the spread.

Previous NFL Picks & Predictions: Week 1 | Week 2 | Week 3 | Week 4 | Week 5 | Week 6 | Week 7

So, let’s get right to the NFL Week 8 picks, predictions, and odds.

Courtesy of FanDuel, here are the NFL odds

Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Buffalo Bills (-8.5)

The Bills haven’t looked like a good football team since they beat the Dolphins way back in Week 4. That was the same week the Buccaneers picked up their last W of the season. One of these teams has to break out and get a win here. The Bills have been much better at home this season, and, hopefully, they did some real soul-searching during the short week. Buffalo should bounce back here and — at least for now — look like a top team again.

Pick: Bills 31-21

Update: The Bills hung on for a 24-18 victory, so they failed to cover. 

Philadelphia Eagles (-7) at Washington Commanders

Full Eagles-Commanders betting preview

The Eagles are a team that is starting to figure out its strengths and weaknesses, and they put together a complete game on Sunday night last week, beating the Dolphins. Jalen Hurts is dealing with an injury, but the Commanders just don’t seem like a team that can make him pay for that in the end. Division games often end up much closer than big spreads say, but this is simply a game between a good team and a bad one, so I’ll take the good one.

Pick: Eagles 24-21

Jacksonville Jaguars (-2.5) at Pittsburgh Steelers

Full Jaguars-Steelers betting preview

Jacksonville is starting to seem like the real deal, as they’ve ripped off four wins in a row now. The Steelers defense will be the toughest unit Trevor Lawrence and the Jaguars have faced all season, though. And while Kenny Pickett has now won his last two on either side of the Steelers bye, the offense still hasn’t proven that it’s a playoff-caliber group. That’s why the Jags will head into their bye on a five-game win streak, even with Lawrence a bit banged up.

Pick: Jaguars 17-14

New Orleans Saints (-2.5) at Indianapolis Colts

Full Saints-Colts betting preview

The Colts are a better team than most pundits thought at the beginning of the season, and the Saints have underperformed, losing four of their last five. The referees played a big role in the Colts losing to the Browns last week, but if the zebras don’t get in the way again, I’ll take the Colts in this NFL Week 8 picks, predictions, and odds space.

Pick: Colts 16-13

Houston Texans (-3.5) at Carolina Panthers

Full Texans-Panthers betting preview

The battle of the No. 1 and No. 2 picks in the 2023 NFL Draft should be a fun one. CJ Stroud might be the Offensive Rookie of the Year, while Bryce Young has struggled without a cohesive offensive line or legit pass-catching weapons. Both teams will be desperate to prove they made the right QB selection that will ultimately turn their franchise around, and the Texans are the team that did that, while the jury is still out on Young’s ceiling with the Panthers.

Pick: Texans 23-10

Los Angeles Rams at Dallas Cowboys (-6.5)

Full Rams-Cowboys betting preview

Between the lines, this is a major talent mismatch between the Cowboys and Rams. However, on the sidelines, Sean McVay is doing a much better job this year than his counterpart, Mike McCarthy. When the Cowboys are on against bad teams this season, they win big for the most part. That said, the Rams have some real fight in them, so while they might not win, I will bet they keep it within a touchdown late in the game.

Pick: Cowboys 24-23

Atlanta Falcons (-1.5) at Tennessee Titans

Full Falcons-Titans betting preview

Maybe this week the Falcons will be honest with the betting public and actually reveal the health status of their best players after not putting Bijan Robinson on the injury report and then barely playing him due to his health. Atlanta still picked up the win last week against Tampa Bay, but Desmond Ridder still hasn’t earned quite enough trust to be a favorite on the road, even against the struggling Titans. Ryan Tannehill could be out this week, and rookie Will Levis is slated to get some time in this game. That could actually be an upgrade for Tennessee and will definitely mean a heavy dose of Derrick Henry for the outright win.

Pick: Titans 19-17

New York Jets (-3) at New York Giants

Full Jets-Giants betting preview

This isn’t the battle between Aaron Rodgers and the resurgent Daniel Jones that we thought it would be at the beginning of the season. Still, backup Tyrod Taylor has looked great in relief, and the Giants offense seems to work much better right now, with the veteran getting the ball out of his hands quickly. The Jets are coming off their bye, though, and the defense will have a field day against the Big Blue signal-caller because the offensive line is still bad. And while this is a Giants “home game,” the crowd should be closer to a 50/50 split than you’d think. Betting on Zach Wilson is always scary, but this is more a vote of confidence in Gang Green’s D than its QB.

Pick: Jets 23-12

New England Patriots at Miami Dolphins (-8.5)

Full Patriots-Dolphins betting preview

Don’t overthink this one after Mac Jones and the Patriots upset the Bills last week, and the Dolphins lost to the Eagles. The Pats win was more due to the fact that Bill Belichick and his Patriots match up much better against Buffalo than they do against Miami. The New England defense just doesn't have enough speed to compete here. Mike McDaniel and Tyreek Hill (who should play despite not practicing Wednesday) will make the Pats pay for that and blow their AFC rivals out.

Pick: Dolphins 30-12

Minnesota Vikings (-1.5) at Green Bay Packers

Full Vikings-Packers betting preview

Until Jordan Love proves he can complete passes at a rate of at least 60%, the Packers have no chance of winning consistently. Plus, Kirk Cousins and the Vikings seemed to have found a little of last season’s form while beating the 49ers, even without Justin Jefferson. If the Packers defense can finally step up and put tons of pressure on Cousins, they will have a chance. That doesn’t seem likely with defensive coordinator Joe Berry at the helm, though, so look for the Vikings to keep the good time rolling at Lambeau Field.

Pick: Vikings 28-24

Cleveland Browns at Seattle Seahawks (-4.5)

Full Browns-Seahawks betting preview

The Browns defense is probably the best D in the league right now, having given up the fewest yards in the league. But the offense is still a mess, and backup PJ Walker will get yet another start with Deshaun Watson’s continued injury woes. Don’t sleep on the Seahawks defense either. The new Legion of Boom is ranked fourth in fewest yards allowed and is top-10 in fewest points, too. Top-five pick Devon Witherspoon is a baller, too, and this group will confound Walker while Geno Smith and his new favorite target, Jake Bobo, will get enough done to win comfortably.

Pick: Seahawks 20-14

Cincinnati Bengals at San Francisco 49ers (-4.5)

Full Bengals-49ers betting preview

This was set to be one of the games of the year to this point, but some of the bloom is now off the rose. Joe Burrow and the Bengals started slow but are now starting to come on winning three of their last four, including their last two in a row. As for the 49ers, most thought they’d still be unbeaten at this point, but two straight losses have stopped that dream. The main takeaway here is that Brock Purdy and the 49ers offense just aren’t the same without all the weapons usually at Purdy’s disposal. With Deebo Samuel (most likely) out again this week and Purdy banged up himself, I’ll make this the shocking NFL Week 8 picks, predictions, and odds pick and take the Bengals to win outright.

Pick: Bengals 28-27

Baltimore Ravens (-9.5) at Arizona Cardinals

Full Ravens-Cardinals betting preview

This is why, as an NFL games picker, you have to stick to your guns and not let recency bias creep in. All season I’ve been writing in this NFL picks, predictions, and odds column that the Ravens offense was a sleeping giant that would awake soon, and I wanted to be on them when it did. Well, I fell in love with the Lions and jumped off the bandwagon right before it hit the Promised Land. Lamar Jackson made sure I paid for that, as Baltimore whooped Detroit by 32 points. This week, I’m back backing the purple and black, baby!

Pick: Ravens 38-9

Kansas City Chiefs (-7) at Denver Broncos

Full Chiefs-Broncos betting preview

The Broncos played the Chiefs tough just two weeks ago, losing but covering and hanging with Patrick Mahomes and company 19-8 on a Thursday night. This week, Kansas City is done messing around and will demolish the Broncos despite Mahomes dealing with an illness in snowy conditions. The Chiefs are simply the much better team, and they are starting to look sharp even against bad teams, which sometimes hasn't happened in the past.  I’m picking them to easily cover the touchdown-plus spread. And if I knew for sure that Taylor Swift was going to be there, I’d take KC by a billion and all the Travis Kelce overs.

Pick: Chiefs 33-6

Chicago Bears at Los Angeles Chargers (-9.5)

Full Bears-Chargers betting preview

“Secret… Baaaagent Man, Secret… Baaaaget Man! They’ve given you a number and taken away Justin Fields!” If you’re not familiar with that 1966 Johnny Rivers classic, check it out. And if you’re not familiar with the Division II undrafted free agent whose dad is a world champion arm wrestler (with both arms!), then you need to do a deep dive on Bears QB Tyson Bagent, too. Chicago has a little juice now that Bagent and company dropped 30 on the Raiders last week, and what about Justin Herbert and the Chargers’ two wins (over the Raiders and Vikings) make anyone think they should be more than a touchdown favorite in primetime at a home stadium that will be filled with Bears fans? Gimme Secret Bagent Man.

Pick: Bears 23-21

Las Vegas Raiders at Detroit Lions (-7.5)

Now, I wrote above that I regret taking the Lions to beat the Ravens last week, but that doesn’t mean I don’t still like the Lions a lot. This is a franchise that has never won consistently, so their path to perennial contender-ship is going to hit some bumps along the road. Not to mention, you can give Maxx Crosby the edge over Aidan Hutchinson and Davante Adams the advantage over Amon-Ra St-Brown, but I’ll take the Lions at the other 20 starting positions and at head coach. Dan Campbell and company will come out mad after taking a whooping last weekend, and they’ll return the favor Monday night so we can all get to bed at halftime and wake up feeling refreshed on Tuesday morning.

Pick: Lions 35-12

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